₦airaland Forum

sample2

hi guys,
by way of honing our skills and trading useful info/tips on our various techniques- i propose a digital painting exercise.

attached are a couple of inked illustrations pulled from the web.
any interested, should please indicate here, so we can select which illustration(s) to start with. (alternative sketches r welcome)

posting of works-in-progress and description of technique is highly encouraged (as are questions)

the finer details like- duration of d challenge, prizes(if possible), etc will be mutually discussed/agreed upon by the participants.
the main aim tho is self-development.

any takers?

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/100-maya-3d-tutorials-beginners-intermediate-advanced-users/
http://www.instantshift.com/2009/03/06/45-incredible-maya-tutorials-around/

has a good collection of tutes.
sorry, i am a mayan. most of my resources r maya-oriented.

yeah. good site.
Autodesk has some awesome features for their 2012 release of 3d apps.
i wonder y they bother, they long bought out all d competition.lol

i particularly look forward 2 d editable motion path that now shows in the maya viewport.
and the viewport 2.0 capabilities r awesome. u dont really need to render ur scene to assess ur effects.

its kinda pricy tho at 3500 USD (at least for me) i will wait til it hits 1000 (if ever)lol

'masters' is an exaggeration. we are all at different stages on the learning ladder.
lets all trade knowledge.

good thread idea!
people can ask/make specific questions/requests.

@Blazing
c'mon man.
where is the platform for these passionate chaps to showcase their skills, so that u can see them?

believe me, they exist- but most are so caught up in the challenge to keep their heads above water, that u don't come across them easily.
that's why i said, u have to be in their circle(s) to know them.

also, don't write off all those chaps in biz centers etc. for some its just a means to an end, or an avenue to gather resources, so don't think their present position reflects lack of passion or skill.

for some, access to a laptop/internet is a luxury.

our environment isn't particularly suited for the creative arts, most skilled artists will choose to 'sell' their services to a more appreciative audience- most cases abroad. (i used to send illustrations to a kiddies book company in the UK, they paid peanuts at the time- but given the exchange rates it made sense in naira. i had to give up all rights to the pics tho- i couldn't even sign on them. those were d terms. i was a lot younger/desperate then. now, id tell them to take a flying leap)

a lot of people i know are engaged in similar activities. there's actually a global demand for african art/expressions- and a lot of 'smart' practitioners are taking advantage of it. they do it quietly in their corners, and if u don't know 'em, u will never know. lol. but its largely about survival (most r exploited)

my point largely tho, is- until u have created a user-friendly platform for these artists to be made visible- we cannot say for a fact that they either exist in any number (or don't, for that matter)
we can only argue/postulate based on the experiences gained from the conditions within our small sphere of influence- and thats not very scientific.

wot i can say we lack, is professionalism in our conduct- but that should be differentiated from skill and passion or creativity, (those, we have in spades)

@lightheart
lol.

good work.
i think we r due 4 another modelling challenge.

we all operate in relatively small circles- twasn't personal.
i dont get wot u mean by 'its being blown up', pls clarify.

somehow tho, i think u either misunderstood, or missed my point entirely.

@ugo_2u

thats a weak premise to base ur opinion on.
Lack of visibility (in some circles) doesnt equate to inexistence.

Outside a relatively small circle, who knows of u? (no disrespect)

multiply d same scenario b d number of well designed flyers/posters/brochures/montages (designed by artists) used daily, or d number of printing presses turning out stuff- n ur argument is weakened.

Have u checked out d works turned out by art graduates nationwide, or followed up on d artists careers?

Like lightheart asked, wot is d basis 4 ur opening premise?
Dis forum hardly qualifies as a measuring index, n given d challenges facing d average nigerian, online presence is hardly a reliable index either.

Wot u can say is that not many nigerian artists have an 'adequate' public image.

And dats understandable cos d bulk of d business r from person-2-person referrals, not online browsing. (an assumption on my part, but backed by experience n observation. this holds true even in more developed countries)

Besides, good artists tend 2 congregate: so if u dont know many- dats telling u something. lol

@Blazing
d same applies 2 u.
Y do u say there r few, cos u dont know them? Or cos their works dont cross ur path?

When Avatar was in production, practically all d 'good' design houses in d US were involved in some stage of d production pipeline. I know 3 nigerians who contributed 2 d movie.
A bunch of my pals sell 3d models online- including urs truly.
another bunch send illustrations 2 comics abroad.
U just have 2 b in d circle 2 know wots happening- and quite a lot is happening!

Thing is, most artists who have  visibility dont necessarily flaunt d fact that they r nigerian- its all about d art.

lol. this is entertaining!
dude, u better stop before u make a bigger arse of yourself.

sylvelity, u better call off your counsel/hound dog! lol

@ugo_2u
dunno if external contributions r welcome.

d skew tool instead of d distort tool applied on the shadow layer would give u faster/simpler results in creating the slant on the wall.
u dont even need a second layer of shadow, u could select the lower half of the shadow and skew it to ur preferred angle.
that way u dont have the erasing hassles.

again, good job.

@ukpai4real:
i think ur out of order.
ur post and tone is unwarranted, (unless u have earlier beef with ugo_2u).

the chap he is addressing directly isnt even offended, why are you?
and pliagarism is a serious thing- it could even get ur forum shut down!

08023289217 (10am - 6pm)
imagix_studios@yahoo.com

good one!
cant decide if u were joking or serious.lol
ur audience is global, we dont all speak pidgin.lol

http://www.3dm3.com/modelsbank/cat.htm
http://artist-3d.com/free_3d_models/03electronics_design.php

u will get some free props there. pick a category.
but like ugo_2u said, google is ur best bet.

u might want to be careful tho when using someone else's still renders, make sure u have permission and they r not copyrighted.
dont know wot u need the renders for- but if u have the know-how, setting up/rendering ur own scenes is a better idea.


goodluck.

ur topic post says this is ur first model, dat right?
how long have u practiced? rendering realistic glass is a toughie!- (not to mention processor intensive.)

the approach to texturing differs depending on wot u r gunning for as ur final render- highly detailed or just passable?
if d bottle was not 4 a close up shot, i would simply create a 2d image for it and simulate a lot of the light effects on the 2d texture then just map it on the various channels of a simple blinn (color, transparency,diffusion etc), then do a few tweaks.

if its for a detailed close up shot, that would involve tweaking a lot more of the material parameters, and using specialized shaders that best simulate glass. (i use maya tho, not max)

i suggest u read extensively and gain experience- texturing is way down the line.(i am assuming ur a newbie- i stand to be corrected)
2 be effective at it, u have to also have mastered lighting, modeling, mapping etc.

i have a couple of e-books on texturing, they r maya-oriented but the principles r universal.
u could google n download some yourself.

good start.
wot software are u using?
wot specific problems do u have with the texturing?

hi man, i will make allowances 4 d fact dat u obviously mean well n are very anxious 4 change,and i dont mean 2 offend.
My thots r- chill d (bleep!) out.
Art will grow at its pace, if u want 2 influence it- up ur personal game, n post stuff 2 inspire n motivate others.(kudos on ur efforts so far) and realise when talk is unnecessary.

When there r a lot of inspiring work/ inspired and talented artists, inertia is beaten. Progress inevitably follows.
Dont ask 2 hear ideas, to wot end? So u can moderate them?
Just come up with one urself, and throw it out there: if there r no takers- try another, and another.(this goes 2 all of us)

Theres no such thing as a good idea, just an accepted idea (which we then, call good)- n noone can really say with certainty wot d public will accept and participate in, at any given time. There r 2 many variables affecting choices and participation.

All this talk n legislation gets tiring.
Heck, i even read a post where u threatened pulling someones art cos d res was 2 high (in ur opinion) i use a 21" display incidentally.

Easy on d moderating bro.
We dont need mothering, we r adults. if i had an idea-i would just post it, not discuss it.

This is a public forum n we read d rules b4 signing on.

Personally, i think d forum is doing ok. Theres always a calm b4 a flurry of creative activity, then the cycle repeats.
Check d posts n ask wot AdamuW,Graphikdon,Lafem,Xothermik,Moondust,Jydekris etc r doing rite now or where they r.
Prolly busy upping their game, u?

Let ur work do d work! or,
Just do it. lol

again, no offense meant.

hilarious.
im really loving this chap.
seems almost a shame to whup him. lol

great on the facial expressions, again.
prolly a slight adjustment on the arm swing, when his arm swings back after he grabs his katana.
needs a bit more follow-thru with the forearm on the back swing, and a tad in the shoulder.

looking real good.

wow.
thot it was just a post- op blur on the blade.
will check out any maya equivalent.
thanx 4 detailing d workflow.

on d deadline thing, they called yesterday asking if d 13th was possible- told them NO!
dunno if that screws the job or not, but we aint magicians.

ballerina?!
heck no! u didnt say that- now the kid gloves r off!
prepare 4 a royal whupping (and thanx 2 ur u-tube tutorial, it will be in full public view!)

kool. Thanx

guess the bot got ur reply, cos its a no-show.

@ xothermik

howd u get the sheen thingy on the blade? blur? twas pretty kool.

should be calling u next week on the other thing.

a rough
first comes the show off, the whupping comes later.

be afraid, wuss, be very afraid!

UPDATE:
posted d wrong clip. just corrected that.
how dyu get 2 include the u-tube videos in ur post?

@ugo
killer bean is a 3 or 4 minute short.(atleast the one i know)
4 animators swinging a feature length movie will prolly need to work 4 on it d rest of their lives, unless they r willing 2 sacrifice quality and they dont have a time deadline.
u gat modeling, rigging, xter animation- with lip synching/ facial animation etc- ever heard of animators block!
when u have worked hard for a week on xter, and uve barely scratched ur workload, u will appreciate my point.

theres a reason why 'good' animations take time n lotsa people.
but that was sarcasm on my part. dude sounds clueless.

wish him luck tho. dont think rendering will be his biggest problem tho.

wot i found amusing was, him, trying to limit the number of animators- like there are enough of them to afford to be picky.
and that half-assed poster musta been d last straw.
theres even an audition, guess the 3d xters will line up for it. lol

nice, creative mind uv got there.
Reading thru, u gat the plot 4 a perfect short.

Dont let d project gather dust even if it was just 4 practice.
If uv spent time on it, u may as well polish it- dats my philosophy.

Besides beefing ya demoreel aint a bad idea.
Just downloaded a ninja rig, will play with it n post a clip- just 2 intimidate ur ninja wannabe!

comments? Ok
I like d concept (but its hard 2 feel d full impact without d front tho- that, would hae prepared us for the back and eliminated ur need 2 xplain concept)

assessing d back alone, the fonts dont quite look like they belong in the pic-my opinion.
especially on d lower page- dunno if its d font type or color. U cld play around.s

An impressive first tho.